<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>And nothing will ever change them back by DoomBum</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24052897">And nothing will ever change them back</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoomBum/pseuds/DoomBum'>DoomBum</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Change is inevitable [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Umbrella Academy (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>5+1 Things, Ben is Proud of Them, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Klaus Uses They/Them Pronouns, Non-Binary Klaus Hargreeves, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-War, Sober Klaus Hargreeves, The Hargreeves Try to Be Better Siblings, Trauma, no beta we die like ben</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:40:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,595</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24052897</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoomBum/pseuds/DoomBum</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Hargeeves finally know what happened to Klaus, and now they feel bad for how bad they treated them. </p><p>Or 5 times the siblings try to make amends +1 time Ben decides to help</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dave/Klaus Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves &amp; The Hargreeves, The Hargreeves Family</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Change is inevitable [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1724749</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>563</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Luther</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Luther is an asshole. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He promised himself he was going to be there for his siblings this time. That he was going to be a better brother. He failed miserably. </span>
  <span>He couldn't even pay enough attention to notice his sibling was hurting. He just assumed they were getting high again. He didn't even have a second thought about it. </span>
  <span>The signs were everywhere but he just dismissed them, thinking he knew better. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His sibling fought in an active war zone, he lost people there, and he was grieving, he was traumatised, and all he could do was being happy they were silent for once. He</span>
  <span> was enjoying their silence, not noticing the dead look in their eyes, the quiver in their lips and the shaking in their hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luther shakes his head, there is no reason to dwell on the past. What's done is done. All he can do now is look forward, and be better.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That's why, when he is looking through the model planes at the local store and he notices a specific one from the Vietnam Era, he buys it directly, hoping Klaus will like his new-found idea. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn't bring it for a few days, because when he gets home he starts wondering if it really is a good idea to bring up the war like that. He isn't sure if it could trigger bad memories or not. </span>
  <span>He tries searching about it online but since he isn't used to the Internet, he doesn't know how to find actual useful information. He could ask Charlie but the man doesn't seem to like him very much. </span>
  <span>At the end, he decides to stop worrying too much and to go ask Klaus about it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That's why, a week after he bought the model, he knocks on Klaus's door, hoping to take the first step in mending their broken relationship. The door opens and Luther takes a peek inside, to see Klaus sitting in the middle of their room, in a lotus position. He frowns a little at the door, wondering how it opened if they were all the way there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ben opened it." Luther turns to Klaus again to see them watching him with a slight grin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm not your servant, you know ?" Luther is a little ashamed to say he jumped at Ben's sudden apparition at his side. The ghost glares at Klaus, but doesn't care about hiding the smile on his lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He can see his sibling shrug in the corner of his eyes, and Ben shakes his head before leaving the bedroom, closing the door behind himself. Luther watches the door for a minute before Klaus clears their throat to make him focus on them again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They're watching him with a raised brow, still sitting on the ground. "What can I do for you, Lu ?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well…" He should have thought about what to say to them beforehand, he isn't really used to socializing with his siblings and he feels awkward now. </span>
  <span>Klaus looks at him curiously, letting him time to put his thoughts in order, for which he is grateful. "I was wondering if you wanted to help me build a model plane ?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They squint at him, confused by his proposal. "A model plane ?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luther nods slowly, rubbing a hand in the back of his neck. "Yeah… I was at the store a few days ago and I saw an helicopter model from the Vietnam War…" He feels a little awkward saying the last part, once again wondering if it was a stupid idea. </span>
  <span>Klaus looks at him up and down, not saying anything, making Luther squirms in his spot. "I just thought 'why not ?', you know ?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus stays silent for another minute, before shrugging as they get up from the ground. "Sure, I could use the distraction." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luther frowns, suddenly remembering the strange position they were in. "What were you doing ?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I was trying to contact someone." He observes worriedly as his sibling grabs the dog tags around their neck, an exhausted look painting their face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you want to talk about it ?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No." They shake their head and quickly move past them to leave their room. They turn to him to ask "Your room ?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah." </span>
  <span>He hurries to follow them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he catches up to Klaus, they're already sitting on his bed, waiting for him. He slowly goes to his desk, easily moving it against the bed so they can both use it at the same time without bumping in each other. </span>
  <span>He already got the pieces out of the box, all of them spread out on top of the desk. Klaus takes the instruction notice he had discarded to the side earlier, raising a brow at the paper. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luther sits on his desk chair, observing their reaction with anticipation, he still isn't sure about his choice and is worried about what they think, not wanting to have made a mistake. "It's a Bell UH-1 Iroquois." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They nod, putting the paper back down. "Yeah, I know." At Luther's confused face they add with a mocking grin "I've been in one or two before."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They take one of the pieces to start working on the model, quickly followed by Luther who is looking at them in shock. "Really ?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They give him a look and he can feel himself squirm against the scrutiny, again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I was in Vietnam. Choppers were a common occurrence back then." And Luther wants to slap himself for how stupid he keeps getting. Of course they've seen and been in a helicopter before, the vehicle was one of the most predominant during the Vietnam War. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He just nods, not wanting to embarrass himself even more, but something couldn't get out of his mind as he kept on building the little model. "Choppers ?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, choppers, helicopters." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He frowns at the weird slang. "Why do you call them like that ?" </span>
</p><p><span>"Because they can chop people's heads off ?" </span>They shrug as if this was obvious, ignoring Luther's horrified look.</p><p>
  <span>"Wh-what ?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I've seen it once or twice. Pretty gruesome sight to be honest." They glue one of the pieces, not noticing Luther has completely stopped to look at them in shock. They look thoughtful for a second. "Well, not directly but, you know, afterwards." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Afterwards ?" They look at him, finally realising he stopped assembling, to see him standing there in confusion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They roll their eyes as they add "Ghosts."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh…" Luther feels a little sick at the sudden image. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They continue the assembly in silence after that, Klaus focused on the work and Luther thinking over the new information he learned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They are almost done when Klaus talks again, turning one of the machine gun in their hand. "You know, I've shot from a Huey like this one before."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luther raises his head from where he is glueing a pal on the top of the model, his eyes widen dramatically. "Seriously ?" They nod slightly. "I always wonder what it would feel like."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus is thoughtful, putting the piece back down as they rest their chin on their hand. "I felt super powerful, like nothing could stop me. It's a pretty great feeling, until..." their expression change suddenly, getting a haunted look. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luther frowns, worried at where the conversation is going. "Until what ?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"...until you remember you're literally killing people." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luther can feel himself freeze at the sudden awareness of what his pacific sibling lived through in the War. Through the haze, he can see them shake their head, surely trying to clear their mind from the memories. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes catch their clenched fists and he realises he has to change the subject. "I'm sorry." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They look at him like he has just grown another head, head tilted to the side. "About what ?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Everything." He shrugs, he isn't sure how to do that properly. They never apologized to each other before. "I've been a pretty crappy brother to you since we stopped the apocalypse."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus grins mockingly at him and continues with the assembly again, seemingly ignoring their hand as it starts shaking slightly."You've been a pretty crappy brother before that, too. We've all been. Why apologize about it now ?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luther scratches the back of his neck, a little ashamed at their family's behaviour toward each other. "Because when we got back together after everything, I promised myself I would do better, that I'll be there for all of you in a way I never was before. I kind of really failed that with you." It feels even worse to say it aloud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus shrugs, still looking confused by his words. "It's not your fault if you didn't know. I didn't tell you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shakes his head, that's not a reason. He is Number One, he should have known. "I should have realised. Ben realised."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus shakes their head. "Ben didn't realize anything, I told him." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I shouldn't have just assumed - Wait, what ? Really ?" His eyes widen a little as they nod. He hadn't realised. "Oh…" He is a little hurt by that fact, but he knows they are closer to Ben than anyone else so it makes sense they would tell him and not them. </span>
</p><p><span>"Yeah. It's not your fault, how could you even get to that conclusion anyway ? Even with all the elements, there is no way you could reach the answer." That makes him feel a little better, it's true that 'Vietnam War' is not something any of them could have guessed, but it doesn't change that</span> he shouldn't have made the guess he made. </p><p>
  <span>"But I shouldn't have assumed you were back to drugs like I did."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They shrug again, looking resigned. "I can't really blame you for that. It was the most logical explanation."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luther shakes his head, he can't let his sibling think they deserved their suspicions. He knows they're making a lot of efforts to stay clean, even more now than he knows why they do it. His mind wanders back to when they find them in their room earlier, trying to contact their friend. "No it wasn't. You were clean, and we're supposed to trust each other, not jump to easy conclusions."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Trusting someone is not that easy, especially after everything I've done to all of you. I can't blame -" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Were you always like that ?" He decides he has to stop them, he can't let them be so hard on themself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Like what ?" Klaus looks a little taken aback by his sudden interruption.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Always putting the blame on yourself ?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Apparently it's a family thing." They wink at him, making him laugh a little, they do all have a habit of doing that lately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I guess… I really am sorry though." His tone becomes more serious, wanting to make sure they understand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I'm sorry too." They nod as they glue the last part on the model. "</span>
  <em>
    <span>Voilà !</span>
  </em>
  <span> All done !" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luther smiles at their completed work. "It was fun." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They nod as they get up from the bed, clenching their shaking hand with a frown before stretching a little, making him notice the bullet wound scar on their stomach. "Yeah, we should do that more often !" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiles at them, ignoring the scar and the shaking, it's not the time to dwell on it right now. "Definitely !"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They wave at him before leaving his room to yell after Ben. He watches the door, a frown reappearing as his mind goes back to what he learned today. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He feels sick as he thinks back at his sibling's familiarity with litteral War machines. Klaus always was the most peaceful out of all of them, choosing to talk instead of fighting and the idea of them fighting in a war, killing people, makes him feel nauseous. </span>
  <span>He can't imagine what it must have been like, but he sees the result of it now and it's horrifying. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shakes his head, he can't do anything about it anymore, it happened already, all he can do is help them go through it, one day at a time. He takes the completed model in his hands, hanging it on one of the ceiling's hooks. He smiles at it, nodding to himself. "One day at a time." </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Diego</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Diego feels so stupid. He was supposed to protect Klaus. He was supposed to always be there for them. That's what he promised them when they first left the academy behind. He failed back then, and he failed again the moment he was offered a second chance. When he first came back for the funeral, he thought he could finally try to get back in touch with his little sibling. He had let them down a long time ago, giving up after one to many overdose when he shouldn't have. He had regretted letting them out of his life, and he hoped he could make amends for the things he said at the hospital that day. </p><p>But he fucked it up. He didn't even notice they got kidnapped. What fabulous brother he makes… </p><p>And if that wasn't enough, he hadn't even realised they disappeared to a literal War, when he had all the clues to figure it out. Ok, he couldn't guess 'Vietnam', but there are other wars going on in the present. He should have put two and two together. But he couldn't even do that right. He had noticed they were hurting, that something was wrong, and he had ignored it because it was easier than getting answers. He failed them so many times before. But he won't again. He knows what's wrong now, and he'll make sure to be there for them, to be the brother he is supposed to be. </p><p>That's why today, he wakes up with a purpose. He stretches as he gets out of bed, turning off his alarm. Hopefully, 5am would be early enough to catch Klaus before they start their workout. He quickly gets ready, washing and eating his breakfast in under twenty minutes, before heading to the training room.</p><p>As he enters the room, he is not entirely surprised to see Klaus already there, seemingly just arriving too. They look at him curiously. "You're early today." </p><p>He shrugs as he approaches them. "Yeah, I wanted to catch you before you started." </p><p>"Why ?" They tilt their head, looking at him questionaly.</p><p>"Because I wanted to try your workout." He has been thinking about it for quite some time now, wanting to see what exactly it was their sibling was doing. </p><p>"You want to try my workout ?" He nods and they seem to try holding a laugh in. "Why ?" </p><p>Diego shrugs, trying to not let the amuse smirk on his sibling's face get to his nerves. He didn't come here to start a fight. "Sibling bonding ?"</p><p>"How is working out a bonding thing ?" Klaus seems unconvinced by his idea, frowning a little. </p><p>"It's a good way to spend time together since we both train regularly." As Klaus raises an eyebrow, he adds "I mean, we are both here, we may as well do it together."</p><p>"But why follow mine ? We can talk while you do your normal thing." </p><p>He shrugs, trying to seem nonchalant. "I'm curious. It seems pretty intense and I want to try it."</p><p>"Is that so ?" He nods and Klaus crosses their arms above their chest. "And you're sure your sudden interest in my training has nothing to do with you finding out about my time in Vietnam ?"</p><p>Diego feels himself freeze at the accusation before rubbing a hand behind his neck, a guilty smile painting his lips. "Maybe ?" </p><p>Klaus rolls their eyes. "You sure you can follow me ?" The amused gleam is back and Diego fights to not scoff, he is there to try and be a good brother, not start a fight after five minutes. </p><p>"I've been working out way longer than you." He reminds them but they just shrug.</p><p>"Yeah, but not on the same level. You do boxing exercises for like twenty minutes, every other day. I spent two hours here. Daily."</p><p>Diego has to do a double take at that, blinking a few times. "You seriously train two hours every day ?"</p><p>"Yeah, minimum." Klaus shrugs, like this was the most normal thing in the world. </p><p>"Why would you do that ?" Why would anyone do that ? It's crazy, and basically useless.</p><p>"Habit. It was basic training back in 'Nam." </p><p>Diego knew, on some level, that they got the habit from their time in the past, but he hadn't thought it was that extreme. Well, he guesses it makes sense, military training always was famous for its intensity, even more so during war times. But he can't help but worry, he knows too much exercising can be dangerous for your health.</p><p>Klaus looks at him mockingly. "Still want to try it ?" </p><p>"Of course." He scoffs, he may not be used to training that much but it doesn't mean he can't. It can't be much worse than what they've been through in their childhood anyway. </p><p>"Ok. If you're sure." Klaus shrugs, turning back to go to the back of the room, their mocking grin never leaving them. </p><p>Diego follows them, determined to prove them wrong and erase that stupid grin off their face. "So, what's first ?" </p><p>"Warm-up. Just follow my lead."</p><p>Diego nods and copies Klaus movements pretty easily, warm-up consisting of normal drill exercises he is already used to. They continue for a good twenty minutes and Diego already starts feeling tired, he normally doesn't take that much time for that. </p><p>Klaus stops and looks at him as he pants a little, a knowing eyebrow raised. "Are you okay ?" </p><p>"Yeah, I'm fine." He waves a hand, refusing Klaus's help to get back up. "What's up next ?"</p><p>They seem a little worried for him but shake their head at Diego's confidence. "Running." </p><p>"Ok, that's easy enough." Diego nods to himself before walking to one of the treadmills, only to be stopped by Klaus. </p><p>He turns around to see them shake their head. "Around the room, for 30 minutes." </p><p>They smile a little as Diego's eyes widen. "Th-thirty ?" </p><p>"Yeah. Why ? Is it too much for you ?" Diego stares at them before he starts running around the room, quickly followed by a laughing Klaus. </p><p>"Why do you keep thinking I'll give up ?" </p><p>He is a little annoyed by their assumptions, he has been training constantly since he was a child, not stopping even after he left the academy. He is more than capable to follow his sibling, especially since they've never been particularly in shape before their time in the War. </p><p>He looks at them to see them shrug. "Because it's more intense than you think. I saw people throw up from it more than once." </p><p>"If you can do it, so can I." Diego sounds sure of himself and Klaus shakes his head, not bothering to continue the conversation. </p><p>By the end of the thirty minutes, Diego is out of breath, struggling to stay standing. Klaus rubs his back, offering him a bottle of water to make sure he doesn't faint. "Thanks."  It takes Diego a few more minutes to finally collect himself. "Ok, I'm good. What now ?"</p><p>"Are you serious ?" Klaus seems to think he is crazy, shaking his head in disapproval. </p><p>"I'm fine ! I just needed to rest a little." Diego is many things, but a quitter isn't one. He said he could do it, so he will do it. </p><p>His sibling rolls their eyes at them, but chooses to indulge them anyway. "Push-ups. Fifty, four times. On one leg." </p><p>Diego stops himself from staring in bewilderment, not wanting Klaus to comment again. He gets down on the floor starting the exercise. Klaus looks at him worriedly before doing the same. </p><p>After a dozen minutes, he is lying down on the ground, unable to get back up. He can feel every muscle in his body protest when he moves. </p><p>"What are you trying to achieve exactly ?" He lifts his head slightly to see Klaus towering over them, looking utterly unimpressed.</p><p>"What do you mean ?" He tries pushing himself up, failing miserably.</p><p>"You're going to pass out if you continue." </p><p>"No, I'm not. I just need a minute and then I'll be good to go." </p><p>"There are still pull-ups, another thirty minutes running exercise and cool-down." Klaus enumerates fastly, and Diego feels sick at the idea to do any of that. But he can't stop, he tries to get up again, but to no avail. "What's going on with you ? Even you aren’t that stubborn normally."</p><p>"I failed to protect you, okay ?" He states angrily, deflating when he realises what he said. </p><p>"Protect me ? What does that have to do with anything ?" Klaus seems pretty confused and Diego doesn't blame them, he did say he wanted to bond, and now he makes it all about himself, again. He feels pretty shitty for that. </p><p>But still. "I should be able to protect you !" How can he do that if he can't even do what Klaus does on a daily basis. </p><p>"I don't need you to protect me, Di." Klaus shakes their head, exasperated by their brother.</p><p>"I'm your big brother, it's my job." He should be able to protect them, to be there when they need him. </p><p>They raise an eyebrow at that. "I'm older than you." </p><p>"No you're n-" Oh right, they spent ten month in Vietnam, meaning they are ten month older than him now. He hadn't realised that. "Oh…"</p><p>"Yeah." They smile slightly at him, offering a hand to them. "I don't need you to protect me." </p><p>"But… I was supposed to keep you safe." His voice withdraws. "I could have prevented you going there. If I was a better brother." </p><p>"It's not your job to take care of me." Diego goes to talk again but Klaus cuts him. "I don't regret going there, you know. I would have left otherwise." </p><p>"What do you mean ?"</p><p>"I had the briefcase, I could have left anytime. I chose to stay there." </p><p>"What ? Why ?" </p><p>They shrug. "Sense of accomplishment ? Duty ? Protecting my squad ?" Their smile turns sad. "Dave..." </p><p>"Did you seriously stay in an active war zone for a man ?" They shrug again and Diego shakes his head. "Only you."</p><p>They both start laughing at that.</p><p>"I'm sorry." Klaus looks at him curiously. "I should have been there for you." </p><p>"You didn't knew."</p><p>"I knew you were hurting. I should have tried harder to help." </p><p>"You -" Klaus stops themself, thinking over what they want to say. "You're here now. That's all that matters." </p><p>Diego smiles slightly, nodding at his sibling. They stay silent for a minute. "You want to go get waffles ? I'll pay." </p><p>They laugh but shakes their head, making Diego frown. "I'm not done with my workout yet. But once I'm done, yeah, sure." </p><p>He nods. "Yeah, of course. I'll wait for you in the living room, then." </p><p>"Okay. See you later, Di." Klaus waves at him as they go towards the pull-up bars. </p><p>Diego watches them for a minute before leaving the room with a sad smile. His sibling doesn't need him anymore, and that hurts more than it should. He isn't sure what he expected today, but that definitely wasn't that. He misses the times, when they were still kids, where Klaus would come to him any time something happened to them. When they trusted him to take care of any issue they encountered. </p><p>Times changed, and his siblings with it. He wished he did things differently at some points, that he was there for all of them. But as Klaus said, what matters is to be there for each other now.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Allison</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She really can't do this family thing right, can she ? No matter what she does, she always lets down the people that matters the most to her. Claire, Vanya, Klaus… She never seems to be able to pay attention to them, always too focused on herself, on what she thinks, on what she wants. She really is a terrible sister. </p><p>She'd seen the clothes, the tattoos, the scars, the tags… but she was too focused on the present, not wanting her little moment to be ruined, that she hadn't even tried to ask about it. She didn't even approach the subject with them, just wondering about it behind closed doors. And only when she remembered. She needs to be better. She has to learn how to put her siblings before herself. She has to learn how to be a good sister.</p><p>It used to be easier. She remembers her siblings always coming to her, loving her, praising her. Seeing her as a model, an actual good sister. But that was all a lie. Like everything else in her life, she created that love. And now she doesn't know how to do it without her rumours. But that doesn't mean she isn't going to try. She will do everything she can to become the sister she is supposed to be. And the first step for that is to apologize. </p><p>Allison nods to herself as she walks down the halls in search for her sibling. She is going to apologize to them, and really take the time to  listen to them. </p><p>She finds Klaus in the kitchen, washing the dishes with Mom. They turn around when she enters, smiling at her. "Hey, Ally !" She waves at them, going to lean against the counter. "What is it ?" They stop the task at hand to turn their attention on her. </p><p>"<em>Can I interest you in a make-up session ? </em>" She waves the nail polish she took with her in front of them, smiling at the excitement filling their eyes. </p><p>"Anytime !" They clap their hands, putting down the sponge and drying their hands as they turn to Mom. "Can I leave ?" </p><p>"Of course, my little Hummingbird. I'll finish here, you kids go have fun."</p><p>Allison takes them out of the kitchen and to her own room, where she already displayed her make-up on her bed in advance. </p><p>Klaus sits at the end of the bed, letting her sit in front of them as they rumble through her products. "You have so much stuff !" </p><p>"<em>You should have seen my collection back in LA.</em>" She sadly had to let a lot behind when she moved back here.</p><p>They hum and she can see their eyes shine when she takes one of their favourite eye shadow and starts applying it on them. </p><p>When she is done, Klaus quickly grabs the nail polish she had earlier and eagerly takes her hand. Allison can't stop the shuckle leaving her mouth as she lets them work on her nails. She silently observes them, trying to find the right moment to say what she wanted to say, when her eyes catch the large scar on their upper arm. She hadn't seen it without the bandages before and she really hadn't expected it to be that bad. </p><p>Should she ask about it ? Would they want to talk about it ? She doesn't think they would… She decides to ignore the injury, and focus on the tattoo on their shoulder instead. She takes in the details of it, it seemed so out of character when she first saw it, but now she realises it must be their squad insignia. </p><p>She looks at Klaus again to see they have noticed her staring and are raising a brow at her. She smiles sheepishly, ashamed of being caught. "<em>I'm just surprised you would get a squad tattoo…</em>" </p><p>They glance at their shoulder before shrugging. "Why not ? I have one for the Umbrella Academy." </p><p>She is a little taken aback by the comparison, frowning slightly as she looks at her own tattoo. "<em>It's not really the same.</em>" </p><p>"Yeah, you're right. This one I got willingly." They wink at her and her frown deepens as they start laughing. </p><p>"<em>That's not what I meant.</em>"</p><p>"I know what you meant." They eye the tattoo on her arm, tracing it lightly before going back to their work on her nails, ignoring the slight shaking of their hand. "But it's the same for me. They both represent my family." </p><p>Allison watches silently as their smile turns soft, unsure on how she can respond to that. It's strange to hear your sibling talking about complete strangers as a part of their family. "<em>You really see them as family ? </em>" </p><p>"Of course I do ! I spent ten month living through hell with them. This kind of experience really brings people together, you know ?" </p><p>Yeah, she does know, that's what their family is built on after all. Their awful childhood is the only thing they all have in common. So, in a way, she guesses she can relate to that feeling. "<em>How were they ? </em>" </p><p>"The 173rd ?" She eyes the writings of the tattoo, reading the number above the skull, and nods. "Understanding. Loyal. Strangely accepting, too." They laugh a little, shaking their head. "Well, for 60's men at least." </p><p>She thinks back to Charlie. The man has been around a few times since she first met him. He is always bantering with Klaus, talking about things she doesn't understand half the time. She has to admit he acted way better than what she expected, he hadn't even bat an eye when Klaus was wearing a skirt last time he came here. "<em>They knew about your sexuality and gender. </em>" </p><p>They nod, smiling softly. "Yeah, they did." They finish her last finger and lean backward to admire their work, putting the bottle of nail polish on the side. They flex their right hand a few times, trying to calm the shaking. "And they never had a problem with it." </p><p>They smirk as they see her eyes widen in surprise. That is pretty surprising, considering the era they were in. The army is not known for being particularly accepting of this kind of thing. She starts working on their nails, seeing them smile at the bright pink colour she chose. "<em>They seem like good people. </em>" </p><p>"Yeah…" Their smile turns soft, and she can feel jealousy creeping up her chest, she doesn't remember them smiling like that about anyone in their family. </p><p>She shakes her head, she shouldn't be thinking like that, it's her own fault they aren't as close as they once were.</p><p>Not wanting to stay on that sour subject, Allison lets her eyes wander over the small scars littering her sibling's body, stopping when she gets to their stomach, where she knows another new tattoo is hidden under their tank top. "<em>What about your other tattoo ? </em>"</p><p>They seem surprised by the change of subject but don't comment on it. "Which one ?"</p><p>"<em>The one on your stomach. Why ? Is there another one ? </em>"</p><p>"Yeah, I have a tiger on my shoulder plate." They point at their back but don't make any move to actually show it. </p><p>"<em>A tiger ? </em> " That seems even stranger than the squad tattoo, why would they have a tiger out of all things ? "<em>Why ? </em>" </p><p>They shrug, an amused smile painting their lips. "It looked cool."</p><p>She shakes her head, a fond smile on her lips as she closes the nail polish and let them wave their hands to dry it. "<em>And the one on your stomach ? </em>" </p><p>Klaus freezes, the hand that was reaching for the mascara stopping to come rub above  their naval, against the tattoo. They shake their head slightly. "This one is personal." </p><p>"<em>Oh… Ok. Sorry. </em>" She bites down the jealousy that tries coming back, again. She is not entitled to any information, and if they don't want to talk about it, it's their right. </p><p>"It's okay." </p><p>Allison observes as Klaus's hand goes to grab the dog tags around their neck, stroking them slightly. </p><p>"<em>I'm sorry. </em>" </p><p>They frown and glance at a point next to them with a raised brow before focusing on her again with a sigh. "About what ?" </p><p>"<em>I was a terrible sister. </em>" Her voice is low, her shoulders slumped forward, and her head low. </p><p>"Yeah, you were." She is taken aback by that, watching them with wide eyes. They shrug unapologetically. "And I was a terrible sibling. We all were." </p><p>She frowns, she wants to say it's not true but she knows it is. They were all awful to each other, how could it be any different with the way they were raised ? </p><p>"But now we have the chance to be better. To try again. And that's all that really matters." </p><p>"<em>You're right.</em>" The past is behind them, they can't change it anymore, no matter what Five says, they can't just erase what they did. They can only move forward. </p><p>"I know." They smile at her, grabbing the mascara they were eyeing sooner and waving it at her. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry too." </p><p>She smiles slightly, letting them apply the mascara on her. "<em>T</em><em>hanks. </em>"</p><p>She frowns as they stop for a minute, letting their hand tremble, before continuing their work. She wants to say something, but the annoyed look on their face makes her reconsider. They don’t seem to want to talk about it, and if they don’t, it’s not her right to pry.</p><p>The rest of the evening is spent talking about lighter subjects and mocking their siblings. Lughter can be heard all the way from the corridor, earning a few strange looks as said siblings pass by. </p><p>And as Klaus leaves her room with a wink and a promise of doing that more often, Allison's smile drops. She can't help but think back on how familiar they were when talking about their squad, compared to how they were with her. There was an edge to it, like they weren't really comfortable. She wasn't either. They don't know each other enough for that. That realisation hurts a lot. </p><p>But as they said, they can work on it. With a little work, they can become the family they were meant to be. She is sure of it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Five</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Five hasn't been back for long and all he knows of his siblings are from the really biased book Vanya wrote. He has to admit he hadn't even tried to learn about all of them, too focused on stopping the apocalypse and making sure it stayed that way.</p><p>He didn't even take the time to properly talk with them. Maybe if he did, he wouldn't feel so stupid now. How could he have not noticed his own sibling went to war ? It was so obvious, everything was just there. He had all the clues, but he didn't even take the time to think about it. He saw them the day they got back and all he could think about was the briefcase. He saw the blood, he knew about the time travel, he noticed the shaking and all he cared about was the briefcase.</p><p>So yeah, he hasn't been the best brother, to any of them really. He needs to work on that. He needs to start making up for the time he lost. He isn't sure what to do for that, though. He never had to spend time bonding with anyone in the family before, especially not Klaus. When they were young, they barely even talked to each other outside of team training and classes. They never really had a lot in common before.</p><p>They still don't actually. Except if you count the horribly traumatic experiences, of course. Which he doesn't think is a good way to bond with a sibling. Or maybe it is ? Could it help to talk about it ? Five shakes his head as he walks down the street, one thing he knows about Klaus is their evasiveness, they never want to talk about too deep subjects, always joking around so others drop it themselves. </p><p>He is taken out of his thoughts by a sudden barking in front of him. He lowers his head to see a small dog looking up to him and seemingly wanting to be petted. He hesitates, looking at the owner who encourages him. He crouches down, and offers a hand, catching himself smiling as the dog sniffs and licks him.He politely smiles at the young woman as she gets back on her walk, his eyes staying on the departing dog, and an idea suddenly emerging in his mind. </p><p>Five quickly jumps back to the academy in order to do some research, trying to figure out what is the best for his situation and to make sure it's a good idea. </p><p>It takes him a couple of days before he actually acts on it, knocking on Klaus's bedroom door and entering before they can answer. </p><p>He sees them roll their eyes as he approaches them and offers them a hand. "Come on." </p><p>"Where are we going ?" They squint at him, untrusting of his sudden appearance.</p><p>"You'll see." </p><p>They look at their side with what seems to be an exasperated sigh before taking his hand. </p><p>Five closes his eyes and teleports the both of them in front of the best shelter he found during his research. He can see Klaus raising his brows at the sight, looking at him for explanations. He shrugs, not offering an answer just yet, and pulls them inside the place and to the reception desk. </p><p>"Hi, we would like to adopt a pet." He keeps his voice high, trying to act as kid-like as possible. </p><p>The woman smiles and brings the both of them to the back garden where they can see dogs and cats all around, separated by large metal gates. She lets them alone to introduce themselves and find what they are looking for. </p><p>Five can feel himself smile as he carefully approaches a field full of small dogs excitedly barking at him. </p><p>Klaus follows him warily, looking around at the different areas. "Five, what are we doing here ?" </p><p>"I thought it could be a good idea to adopt a pet." </p><p>"Why ?" Klaus looks kinda out of place, slowly walking around the little dogs running around their ankles.</p><p>Five crouches to ground level so he can pet a little pug that keeps jumping around him. He carefully measures his next words. "Animals can help with mental health issues."</p><p>"You mean PTSD ?" They raise an eyebrow and tense a little at the reminder. </p><p>"Among other things, yeah." Five decides on saying the truth. He could need a therapeutic pet too to be honest. "It could be good for both of us." </p><p>It seems to work a little, their shoulders relax and a compassionate look crosses their eyes. </p><p>They observe him play with the dog, a smile appearing on their lips as they notice how relaxed he is. "So you want a dog ?" </p><p>He shrugs, taking the little furry ball in his arms and getting up from the ground. "Yeah, why not ?" </p><p>"That's good. I'm sure it'll help you." </p><p>Five frowns as he notices them dismissing themself. He walks past them, to the cat enclosure and searches for a specific one he saw on the online website. He smiles as he spots her.</p><p>"I did some research about this shelter beforehand, and I found one you might like." Five points at the back of the back of the area, to a little black cat with a large scar in the middle of her face and a ear half-cutted. "No-one wants her. She is pretty aggressive because of some shit that happened to her." </p><p>Their eyes follow his finger and they carefully approach the little animal, who raises her head at their presence. The cat quickly stands up and hiss at them, but Klaus remains unperturbed and only offers their hand for her to sniff. </p><p>It takes a few minutes, but she finally calms down and lets them pet her head. Their hand carefully traces her cutted ear as they sit down next to her. She tentatively licks their hand, nosing against the scar on their palms, before settling on their laps. </p><p>Five smiles a little at the sight, petting the pug still in his arms as he walks away to leave them some privacy. </p><p>He spots the woman from earlier and walks toward her, the dog yapping slightly as he sees her. She smiles at him and pets the animal's head. </p><p>"I see you've found a friend." </p><p>He nods politely, keeping the dog close to his chest and letting him lick his hand. "He is cute." </p><p>"I have to warn you, he is a little runaway. Always trying to escape his area." Her smile is fond as she says that and Five can't help but relate to the dog. </p><p>He keeps nodding, not offering an answer, and points at Klaus in the back of the enclosure. "My sibling is over there." </p><p>She nods and moves past him toward them, stroking his hair in the way. He sends an annoyed look at her back, he hates when people do that, but follows her anyway. He can see her eyes widen as she approaches Klaus, stopping a few meters away from them.</p><p>They look up to the both of them and the little cat hiss at the woman. "What happened to her ?" They hand strokes against the animal's cutted ear. </p><p>"She was rescued from the streets. We aren't sure what happened to her, but we think she was in a bad household considering her reactions to humans." She crouches down and the cat hisses at her again. "She never let anyone approach her like that, even less touch her." </p><p>"Poor baby." They carefully hug the cat close to their chest as they get back up, the animal letting them handle her. She climbs on their shoulder and lies down there. </p><p>They catch Five's eyes, an agreement quickly passing through the both of them before they speak to the woman again. "Can we have both ?" </p><p>"Of course. I just need you to fill some paperwork and you'll be good to go." </p><p>It doesn't take long to fill everything, and pay for both animals thanks to Reginald's allowance money. They decide to get back to the academy by foot, bags of supplies in hands. Five holds the leash to the newly named Mr Pennycrumb, and Geist is still on Klaus shoulders, now sleeping soundly.</p><p>"I'm sorry for not noticing you got kidnapped." Klaus looks at him as he suddenly breaks the comfortable silence they were in. "And for dismissing you when you got back from Vietnam." </p><p>They don't say anything for a few minutes, and Five doesn't push. "Thanks. I'm sorry I made fun of you about the apocalypse." </p><p>"Thank you." </p><p>They look at each other, reaching a common agreement to forgive each other and to move forward from their past mistakes. </p><p>"Do you want to talk about it ?" He doesn't know if it's something they would like, but he would listen if they did. </p><p>"What is there to talk about ? It was hell. With good company, but still hell." They shake their head, putting their arms around themself. "Do <em> you </em> want to talk about it ?"</p><p>"Not really, no. Maybe one day." Right now, he isn't ready to talk about it. It was hard, long, and lonely. He doesn't want to even think about it. He guesses it's the same for Klaus.</p><p>"Yeah…" </p><p>Geist snuggles around their neck, seemingly scenting their discomfort. They smile softly and scratch her head. </p><p>Similarly, Mr Pennycrumb stopped walking and is rubbing his head against his leg, whining a little. He takes the dog in his arms and laughs a little as the dog starts licking his face. </p><p>The similarity of their actions makes him feel a pang of guilt. Klaus shouldn't know how he feels, they shouldn't have been through something like that. Not when he was there to prevent it. He came back to save his siblings, and one of them got hurt on his watch. But he'll be better. He'll learn. If he could stop an apocalypse, he can learn to communicate and care for his siblings the way he should. </p><p>They spend the rest of the walk in silence, just enjoying each other's presence. Five glances to his sibling from time to time, smiling at the sight. He feels like he made the good choice in taking them to that shelter, the cat seems like it could really help them with some of their issues. The same way Mr Pennycrumb will help him.</p><p>At least they have each other, now. They can relate to the other's experience more than to anyone else.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Vanya</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Vanya feels utterly disgusted with herself. She spent years resenting her siblings for ignoring her, dismissing her and not caring about her. And there she goes, doing the exact same thing to them. </p><p>Of course, she knows she wasn't the best sibling before that either. But they were supposed to get better. They were better with her, making sure to include her, especially Klaus who was always trying to make her talk during family times and making sure she felt like she belonged. They even were the one helping her with controlling her powers, theirs being kinda similar, as they both rely on emotions. </p><p>And she just dismissed their strange actions, forgetting about it even. Despite swearing to herself that she would find out what happened and help them with it. She just stopped thinking about it a few hours later. </p><p>She acted exactly like her siblings, and she didn't even notice. How could that be ? How didn't she notice ? She has to make it better. Klaus has been so kind to her lately, she has to return the favour somehow. </p><p>That's why she started paying more attention to them. She tries to make sure none of her actions can trigger a panic attack or a flashback. She took a long time searching about war veterans and PTSD, so she would know what to do if something happened. </p><p>She also tried talking with Charlie about how she can really help and make up for her past behaviour. She was a little scared to talk to the man, not knowing how he would react, but he seemed really happy about her asking and he took the time to explain things to her. He said patience was one of the most important traits when dealing with a veteran. That she needed to take the time to understand, and to not just hope everything will simply go away one day. She listened dutifully and changed her behaviour accordingly, hoping it would help her sibling, if only a little. </p><p>She gets an answer to her curiosity around two weeks later. She is practicing her violin in her room, letting the music flow through her ears, and her powers wave around her, trying to get ready for next week's recital, when she hears a knock on her door. </p><p>She puts the violin down on her bed and goes to answer, opening the door to see Klaus leaning against the wall. "Hey Van !" </p><p>She smiles at them, letting them in and closing the door behind them. "Hi Klaus ! What brings you here ?" </p><p>She watches as they sit on the bed, next to her violin, tracing a finger against it. "You know, I really missed hearing your play." </p><p>Her eyes widen slightly at that, and she passes a hand on the back of her neck, cheeks reddening at the praise. "Really ?" </p><p>"Yeah, you're really good." </p><p>"Thanks." </p><p>She can't stop smiling, she knows her siblings make an effort to come to some of her practices at the orchestra but she is never sure if they actually enjoy it or if they are just being polite. At least she knows Klaus really likes hearing her, it's heartwarming. </p><p>"You think you could teach me ?" </p><p>She blinks a few time, surprised by the demand. She hadn't expected them to actively want to learn to play an instrument. She sees the hope in their eyes, and their hands fiddling on their tight, it makes her smile softly as she starts nodding. "Yeah, of course." </p><p>"Thanks, I'll make it worth your time !" She frowns a little at that, they make it sound like it would be a chore for her to teach them.</p><p>"I'm happy spending time with you." They seem genuinely surprised by that, and it makes her heart aches. They are as used as her to be dismissed by their family. She has to change that. "But if you want, you could teach me French in exchange. I always wanted to learn another language." </p><p>It's an excuse, but it holds a part of truth, she always was amazed by Klaus's skills in languages and she often wished she could be as good as them. She isn't sure why she asks for French specifically, she just knows Vietnamese is out of the question considering it could, under bad circumstances, bring flashbacks. It's worth it when she sees the happiness in her sibling's eyes. </p><p>"Sure, I can do that." </p><p>"Okay. Do you want to work on it now ? Is that why you came here ?"</p><p>They shrug, passing a hand on the back of their neck. They seem to be searching for their words, so she leaves them time to order their thoughts and goes to sit on her desk chair. </p><p>"I wanted to thank you." Her eyes widened, she didn't know what she was expecting but it definitely wasn't that. "Charlie told me you asked him for advice for dealing with me. That's… thoughtful." </p><p>"Oh…" She should have realised the man would tell them about it. "It's the least I can do, after everything you've done for me."</p><p>"Everything I've done for you ? What have I done for you ?" They genuinely seem confused and Vanya frowns a little, did they not realise how much they were helping her ? </p><p>"You are kind. You always make sure I'm okay, you help me a lot with my powers, and you always include me when the others start ignoring me." She smiles at them, Klaus was always good to make her feel better, to make everyone feel better. "I guess I just wanted to reciprocate." </p><p>"You didn't have too." </p><p>Vanya frowns at the obvious dismissal of their own well-being. "I wanted to." </p><p>They shrug and their smile is strained, they don't seem to really believe her. "Well, it's nice. I appreciate it." </p><p>She never realised how much Klaus sounds like her before now. Of course, she knows they're not as open as she once thought they were, but she hadn't realised how similar to her they were. It worries her, how easily they throw their feelings to the side. She has to help them. </p><p>She sits next to them on the bed, taking her violin and handing it to them. "Well, you're welcome. It's my pleasure." </p><p>They slowly reach for it, letting her put it in the right position in their hands. Their smile is shy but present and Vanya counts that as a win. </p><p>She places their fingers correctly and lets them get comfortable with the position before she leads their hand to play a small easy melody. The violin shrinks a little because of the position they are in, but it does make them laugh as they recognize the tune. "Is that 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' ?" </p><p>"Maybe…" She smiles innocently at them, children's songs are always the best place to start, and it amuses them so she knows they don't mind. </p><p>Vanya doesn't know how long they keep practicing like that, but she stops when she notices their 'Hello' hand starts shaking slightly. They send her a grateful smile when she doesn't mention it and just puts the violin back in it's case. </p><p>"Why did you pick up the violin ?" </p><p>She turns back toward her bed to see Klaus lying down on it, hands behind their head, not meeting her gaze. She looks at the case again, trying to think of a response. </p><p>"Well, dad gave it to me and told me to learn it." She remembers how happy she was when she first received it, spending hours practicing to make her father happy. Of course he never even mentioned it again, but at the time it made her feel special. </p><p>Klaus gets on their forearms, looking at her curiously. "Wait, really ?" </p><p>"Yeah, I used to think he gave it to me because he felt pity for me." A sad laugh escapes her lips. "But with what I know now, I don't know what to think anymore. It doesn't make sense." She has no idea why the man would give her the instrument, what was the purpose behind the gift ?</p><p>"Nothing he did ever made sense." She hums in agreement, frowning when she sees the strange look in their eyes. Her frown deepens as their expression changes completely to an amused smile in a matter of seconds. "I mean, he did succeed in causing the Apocalypse by trying to stop it !" </p><p>She laughs at that, he did mess than one up completely. But her stomach knots as she looks at them, she knows that's not what they meant by their previous statement. </p><p>"What did he do to you ?" She mutters to herself, but Klaus hears her and they look at her with wide eyes, their entire body freezing on the spot. "I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me what happened." They swallow, playing with the hem of their shirt as they nod slowly. She guesses it means they don't want to talk about it and decides to change the subject to something lighter. "Why do you want to learn violin ?"</p><p>They look at her again, before dropping their gaze to the dog tags around their neck, their hand reaching for them, lightly stroking the engraved name. "Dave told me he loved the sound of it." </p><p>She heard the name before, from her sibling but also from Charlie. She can guess he is the man she saw on the photograph in their room, and the one the dog tags belongs to. "Tell me about him ?" </p><p>They seem surprised by her inquiry, looking at her as if searching if she is genuine. They sit back up and their smile turns soft. "He was… he was kind, and strong, and vulnerable, and… beautiful. Beautiful." </p><p>"You really loved him…" She realises it as she says it. This man was the love of their life, and they lost him to the war.</p><p>"More than I ever loved anyone else." Their expression is getting dreamy before they shake their head and pass a hand on their stomach, an amused and nostalgic smile playing on their lips. "Enough to write it on my skin." </p><p>They wink at her as they raise their shirt to show her the tattoo there, tapping on the bottom of it. She leans toward it to observe the art, she can see some sort of temple and writings in a foreign language. </p><p>"Is that his name ?" </p><p>"Yeah, it's in Thai." They nod and trace the bottom line again, not offering a translation for the other writings. She doesn't ask, they would tell her if they wanted her to know. </p><p>She shakes her head, a fond smile finding its way on her face. "Only you…" Her eyes trace the name again, and she sits a little straighter, her expression suddenly getting more serious. "I hope you find him."</p><p>"Thanks. Me too." </p><p>Their smile turns sad, but she can see hope shining in their eyes, making her smile at them. She sits next to them and squeeze their arm in comfort. </p><p>They stay like that for a few minutes before Mom calls everyone for dinner, making Klaus get up and leave the room with a 'thanks'. She smiles and gets up to follow them, wondering why they never spent much time together when they were younger. She feels that if she hadn't pushed everyone away in misplaced jealousy, the two of them could have been best friends. She feels a little guilty for not having tried before now, but hopefully she can make up for it and start anew.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Ben</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ben is happy to see his siblings trying to be better to Klaus, they seem to finally realise how bad they were and actually work on it. Sadly, some of them are better at it than others, but at least they all try. That's already more than what he was hoping for when they first found out about everything. Klaus seems like they are really trying to get better too. They willingly share some information with their siblings, and they go to Charlie and the rest of their squad when they feel too overwhelmed, instead of shooting up in dark alleyways. That's a big improvement in his book. </p><p>That's what they are doing right now actually. They are in the VFW bar, meeting with the guys after a pretty rough morning. They had woken up from a nightmare, and were jittery, jumping at every noise back at the house, so Ben suggested calling Charlie and here they are. </p><p>He is never sure what to think when he sees the group together. They are close, closer than their family has ever been, and it kinda hurts him to see it. But he is also happy that his sibling finally have a group of people that cares for them, that is there when they need them, even when things are bad. </p><p>So he smiles as Charlie throws an arm around their shoulder and brings them to the table at the back of the bar. He smiles as Jimmy pulls them in a hug, like he does each time he sees them. He smiles as he notices that no-one on the table has an alcoholic drink, despite being in a bar. He is happy to sit on the side and look at them talk and laugh and smile with the group they consider as much family as the Hargreeves.</p><p>The only thing that could make it better would be Dave being there, but Klaus still hasn't succeeded in summoning him. Ben feels bad for them, they do try every day, with no luck so far. Maybe he could try to help… He wouldn't know where to start, but he owns it to them.</p><p>He nods to himself, determined to find the ghost for his sibling. He throws a last look at the group before silently leaving the bar to start working on his plan.</p><p>---</p><p>When he first comes back to himself, Dave notices the lack of pain before anything else. He frowns and opens his eyes, pretty sure he was just shot. He looks around the battlefield, seeing the fight still raging around him, then down at his feet. He has to do a double take at the view of his own dead body, and at Klaus crying for a medic.</p><p>He tries touching them, but his hand goes right through, making him stumble backward a little. He looks down at himself, seeing the gun wound on his chest, but he doesn't even feel sick at the sight. He just feels… nothing. He can only watch as more of his brothers fall down from enemy fire, and as Klaus quickly shakes his head, snatching his tags and putting them around their own neck, before escaping the battlefield. Dave finds himself frowning again and decides to follow his lover all the way back to camp.</p><p>He can see a couple of his fallen squamates here, they're all looking at Klaus in confusion, then at him. Fitzgerald, one of the last casualties of their squad, approaches him and squeezes his arm in comfort. He smiles at the man before the two of them look at Klaus again, wondering what he is doing. </p><p>They are shaking as they retrieve the suitcase hidden under their cot, they put it on the bed and play with the latches for a minute, seemingly considering something. They sigh, looking around the camp with a guilty look. </p><p>"I'm sorry." </p><p>It's the last words Dave hears from them before they open the suitcase and disappear in a flash of blue. </p><p> </p><p>It takes fifty years before he hears of them again. </p><p>He is walking down the streets of Ho Chi Minh City, half-listening to Fitzgerald at his side talking about how Arthur is getting senile or something. The two of them haven't left the country since they died, none of them had anything to go back to in America and they decided to stay and keep an eye on Arthur instead. The man is the only one of their squad that decided to stay in Vietnam after the war, and Dave and Fitzgerald made it their duty to check on him regularly. </p><p>He doesn't pay too much attention to the other ghost as he talks about Charlie calling Arthur not that long ago, and about the old man now constantly muttering about ghosts and time travel. Dave doesn't really care about it, it was bound to happen one day anyway. So he doesn't listen to Fitzgerald, instead he observes the living passing by, making their lives, talking, joking, playing. It makes him happy to see people enjoying their life. </p><p>"Dave ?" </p><p>He is stopped in his dreaming by the sound of his name, he looks at his companion questionaly, but the man shakes his head and points at something behind him. He turns around to see a person, dressed in all black with a hood hiding most of his face, looking at the both of them. He slowly approaches them, taking his hood down. "David Katz ?" </p><p>Dave nods with a frown, who is this ghost ? He never saw him before… He looks at Fitzgerald again but the man just shrugs. </p><p>The stranger holds his hand out, he carefully takes it and shakes in greetings. "I'm Ben Hargreeves." </p><p>"Hargreeves ?" His eyes widened. He knows <em> that </em> name. He remembers Klaus telling him about his baby brother Ben, the one that died when they were 16. "Are you Klaus's brother ?" </p><p>The stranger - Ben - nods and he can hear Fitzgerald mutter a 'No way' next to him. </p><p>"He's been searching for you."</p><p>"Klaus ?" He nods again, and Dave frowns. Does that mean… "Are they dead ?" </p><p>"No. Not exactly." Ben shakes his head, smiling mysteriously. </p><p>"What is that supposed to mean ?" Fitzgerald asks before Dave has even the chance to start processing what is happening. </p><p>Ben seems to be considering something before extending his hand to him again. "It'll be better if I show you." </p><p>Dave takes his hand directly, ignoring Fitzgerald protests to wait and think about it. He has to see them again.</p><p>He feels a pull in his body, and next thing he knows he is standing in front of a giant staircase. He looks around to see the building he is in is enormous and old looking. He can see paintings of children on the walls and knives stuck on the walls. </p><p>He turns to look at Ben who is gesturing at him to follow. He complies, following the other ghost to a living room, where six people seem to be playing some card game. Ben signs him to stay quiet as he approaches the group, Dave stays at the entrance and observes the scene.</p><p>The group is obviously alive, it's easy to say when you've been a ghost for as long as he was. He feels a pang of familiarity at the scene, remembering the many stories Klaus used to tell him about their family. His confusion grows as he recognizes each one of them from these said stories. These people should be as old as Arthur by now, it's impossible for them to all be so young. </p><p>He feels himself freeze as he recognizes Klaus on the couch, as young as he remembers. They have their back to him but there is no mistaking those hair. They are here and they are alive. How is that possible ? </p><p>He gets out of his stupor and observes as Ben goes to the other side of the room, watching above - Diego's ? - shoulder, obviously unnoticed by everyone. He seems to be looking at the man cards before looking at Klaus. "He is bluffing." </p><p>Dave frowns, wondering why Ben would tell him that. He doesn't really care about whether Diego is bluffing in his statement or not. He is going to ask when Klaus suddenly leans forward the table and puts all his tokens at the center of the table, making Diego frown. They look at each other for a few seconds before Diego throws his cards on the table, revealing that he was indeed bluffing. Klaus laughs and retrieves the tokens, showing their winning hand in the process. </p><p>Diego frowns deepens and he seems to be thinking about something before he turns around as if trying to spot something behind him. When he turns back to Klaus, he is glaring suspiciously. "Stop cheating." </p><p>Dave frowns as Ben laughs and goes to lean on the back of the couch next to Klaus, who is dramatically putting a hand on their chest. "Me ? Cheating ? I would never do that !" </p><p>Ben laughs even more, and Klaus seems like they are trying to stop themself from doing the same. </p><p>"I know Ben is helping you !" </p><p>What the fuck ? What does that even mean ? Klaus couldn't have known what Ben just said, the man is dead. Klaus shakes their head. "How dare you accuse Ben of such a thing ? He is an angel !" </p><p>Ben nods next to Klaus. "Yeah, how dare you accuse me of such a thing ? I'm an angel !"</p><p>Dave's eyes widen as Klaus suddenly snorts and turns to Ben - literally turns to Ben ! - and looks at him in the eyes. "Seriously?" </p><p>The ghost shrugs and Diego points an accusing finger at Klaus. "Ah ! I knew he helped you !" </p><p>They turn back to him, throwing their hands in the air. "Come on, he arrived like five minutes ago. I definitely beat you myself all the other times !" </p><p>Diego shakes his head and leaves the room grumpily, muttering about cheating siblings. </p><p>"You actually beat him without my help ?" Klaus throws Ben a look, ignoring the rest of their siblings who start leaving as the conversation turns too strange for them to follow. </p><p>"Have a little faith in me, Benjie !" </p><p>Dave stands there in a mute realisation as the two keep bickering. They see ghosts. They meant that literally, not like in nightmares. They <em> see </em> ghosts ! They can see him !</p><p>He tunes back to the conversation as Ben throws his hands in the air, shaking his head.</p><p>"I'm your only dead brother !" Dave raises an eyebrow as Klaus shrugs. "I even brought you a gift !" Is he talking about him ?</p><p>"A gift ? What gift ?" </p><p>Ben points at him - he was talking about him ! - with an amused smile. "Well, I found your man !" </p><p>"My-" Klaus suddenly turns around to look at him, eyes and mouth wide open. "Dave ?" </p><p>Dave can feel himself smiling at the unbelieving look on their face. "Hey, sunshine." </p><p>It's all it takes for his partner to get off the couch and rush in front of him, hand hovering above his cheek. He starts to move away so they wouldn't phase through him, just because they see him doesn't change the fact that he is a ghost after all, but he stops as their hand actually makes contact on his face. </p><p>He slowly raises his own hand to theirs, trying to make sure he isn't dreaming. A happy laugh escapes his lips as he touches them, taking their hand in his and turning his head to kiss it. Klaus seems amused by his antics and is looking at him with a raised brow. </p><p>"You're amazing !"</p><p>Their smile turns shy and their eyes escape his gaze, making him laugh softly. He lowers his hand to grab at their waist and pull them closer, catching their eyes before kissing them. He can feel them relax in his hold, slithering their arms around his neck as they deepen the kiss. </p><p>When they break apart, Klaus hides their face in his neck, kissing softly the area before muttering "I love you." </p><p>Dave passes a hand in their hair, scratching the way he knows they like, and turns his head to kiss their temple, closing his eyes. "I love you too." </p><p>He feels them smile against his neck and his hold on their waist tightens, pulling them even closer. </p><p>His eyes open suddenly at the sound of someone clearing their throat, he looks around a little before catching the sight of Ben, still on the couch, looking at them with an amused smile. "You're welcome !"</p><p>Klaus rolls their eyes before turning around to look at their brother. "Thanks, Ben. You are definitely my favourite brother !" </p><p>"I sure hope so !" He shakes his head, a fond smile on his lips, as he gets up and leaves the two of them alone. "Have fun, kids !" </p><p>Klaus throws a middle finger at his departing figure before turning back to him to take his hand and pull him to the large staircase. "Come on, I'll show you my room !" Dave laughs as he follows them.</p><p>---</p><p>Ben is glad when he hears his sibling laugh, smiling to himself at a job well done. It feels good to see them so happy, and he is glad he could help them. </p><p>Dave seems like a really nice guy, and it will be good for Klaus to have him around during rough times. He'll surely be able to help better than any of their siblings, knowing first hand what's going on and all.</p><p>Ben can feel himself smile as he sits in his own room, his favourite book in hand. Things seem to finally get better. It took a long time, but he can see a hopeful future for all of them.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>